Zeitoun

by Dave Eggers
Hennepin County Library paperback 325 pages
genre: NF, Hurricane Katrina, Muslim American

What a fascinating and awful story. I like how the author wove Abdulrahman Zeitoun's childhood and life story into this chronological tale of Hurricane Katrina. This honest, hardworking businessman stayed in New Orleans to protect his home and business. His wife Kathy took the children and left for safety. As he paddled around in his canoe helping people and feeding abandoned dogs, he began to realize the gravity of the situation and considered leaving. He waited a day too long, though, when National Guardsmen and police arrested him (without notifying him of his rights) and three other men in one of the properties Zeitoun owned. Never given a phone call, his wife assumed him dead. What an incredible story! And so very sad. It's hard to believe things like this actually happened here.